You Don't Need a Heartbeat to Follow Your Heart
by Threshie
Summary: When Dallet is slain in battle, the other Dragon Slayers and Dilandau aren't sure how to feel. They are just getting used to his death when he shows up alive and well. Can someone really come back from the dead? (NON-YAOI) Chapter 6 is finally here!
1. 1 Until The Day I Die

**You Don't Need a Heartbeat (to Follow Your Heart)**

By Threshie

AN: This is my first Escaflowne fanfic ever. Note that this's a deathfic, though not your average one. Please refrain from flaming me for writing something original. In fact, it'd be nice if you didn't flame me at all, lol--I'm sure you're smart enough to phrase any complaints into constructive critisism telling me what I did wrong and how you think it would've been better.

I'm sorry if Dilandau seems OOC in this fic, but I think he might have acted this way if this fic was a canon thing. I could be wrong, and if you think so go ahead and tell me, just please don't flame. I know Dilandau is a beloved character, and I really don't want a bunch of ravaging fans trying to kill me for my portrayal of him, LOL... Also, please note that this fic is AU--as in, things happen in it that don't coincide with the anime's storyline. I hope it leaves you thinking about it after you're done reading, because that's what marks good fanfiction for me.

**Chapter 1 Until The Day I Die...**

The stomping of booted feet dominated the room, ringing in Dilandau's ears in a ceaseless echo. If it had been one of his Dragon Slayers making the racket, he would have given them a stiff slap and commanded them to go stand very still somewhere far away from him. Unfortunately, none of the blue-clad boys were the source of the din--the footsteps belonged to Dilandau's own crimson boots.

As he paced, he wondered what to say to Shesta and the others. Ever since they had arrived back on the Vione, it had been like this. The five boys had seated themselves silently at the round table they usually reserved for card night. The seats had been chosen in some sort of mysterious syncronization, and not one of the Dragon Slayers had spoken a word since.

Dilandau knew that they were probably expecting orders of some sort--he never let them sit idle for long--, but he couldn't think of anything to order them to do. They were probably thinking back on their latest battle, which they'd finished less than an hour ago. He himself couldn't tear his mind from those last moments of combat. Those moments that were also the last of Dallet's life.

The end had come swiftly and unexpectedly for the quiet Dragon Slayer. One moment, Diladau was realizing a heartbeat too late that there was a large barrage of missiles headed toward him, and the next... Lord, he could still see the smoldering wreckage of Dallet's guymelef as it collapsed to the ground, the cockpit seeming to open of its own accord to drop the boy's battered body to the ground.

Dilandau had paused, demanding, "Dallet! Why the hell did you open your cockpit? Dallet?" Their guymelefs had been knocked down before, and Dallet knew he had the best chance of surviving behind the thick metal walls, so why...? Dallet did not reply. He lay very still...almost too still.

And that was when Dilandau recalled reading the guymelef schematics--particularly the part about the armor automatically opening the cockpit should the pilot's vital signs cease. This allowed salvage of the machine for future use. "Dallet?" He asked a bit more hesitantly, lightly nudging the boy's body with his guymelef's enormous crimson fingers.

There was no answer.

There never would be again, at least not from Dallet.

Dilandau bit his lip, hardly noticing as his small fangs retaliated with sharp little pricks of pain. He had been so distracted by Dallet's death--so downright shocked that it could happen to one of his best Dragon Slayers, and so fast--that Shesta had had to defend him from further attacks. The other Dragon Slayers had joined in, and in defense of their Dilandau-sama they had made short work of the opposition.

_They didn't know yet,_ Dilandau knew. If they had, perhaps they wouldn't have been able to fight, either. Perhaps they all would have died. The Dragon Slayers seemed to do almost everything together. _It's remarkable,_ Dilandau thought more to distract himself than anything, _how they're such good friends even though they'd never known each other before becoming Dragon Slayers. They really do do almost everything together..._

Except that now Dallet's fate was separate from theirs. Living on was at least one thing that all of the Dragon Slayers could not do together. Not anymore...

Dilandau continued with his pacing, for the moment leaving the remaining Dragon Slayers to their self-enforced silence. Let the shock wear off naturally...it would give him some time to think about it all, himself.

The silence was broken the next morning by Shesta. His voice sounded so distant to Dilandau, a faint call echoing through the fog of his dreamless sleep.

"Dilandau-sama!" The blonde boy exclaimed excitedly. The rather hesitant shaking of Dilandau's shoulder told him that the Dragon Slayer must need to tell him something really important. None of the boys would risk their commander's wrath by touching him without prior permission otherwise.

Sitting up and dragging his eyes open, Dilandau tried his best not to look exhausted and sleepy as he demanded, "What _is_ it, Shesta?" Shesta didn't seem in the least intimidated. Dilandau took this as an insult to his authority, but the blonde boy's next words made him forget all about it.

"He's back, Dilandau-sama!" Shesta smiled brightly, "He's alive--he just came walking through the door!"

"People who walk are usually alive," Dilandau answered sourly, sitting up in bed and swiping unruly silver bangs from his face. "However, just for the sake of your personal safety, I suggest you inform me _which_ living person you're talking about." Shesta blinked, then smiled again.

"It's Dallet, Dilandau-sama," he replied, glancing back out the bedroom door.

Dilandau blinked, allowing these words to sink into his sleepy mind for a second. As soon as the meanings followed the actual words, he abruptly climbed out of bed and rushed to the door to look for himself. Hurriedly, almost frantically, his pale red eyes shot from person to person, assessing who was present. There was Guime, and Gatti...that was Miguel over there, and--

He froze.

Standing near the door, talking quietly to a shocked-looking Viole, was Dallet!


	2. 2 Confessions

**You Don't Need a Heartbeat to Follow Your Heart**

**            Chapter 2 Confessions**

By Threshie

AN: Sorry for taking so long to update--this chapter was already written when I posted the first one, but needed serious revision. You might notice I changed the title format a bit. Shrug I like it better this way. Also, please note that I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters, places, names, etc. (I forgot my disclaimer last chapter! Oops...) Anyway, anybody wondering how Dallet came back from the dead yet? Read on to find out!

The room went silent.

Dilandau's mind scrabbled for an explanation, some shred of sense to the brown-haired boy's presence. _He might not have really been dead--no, no, he'd been dead before he'd even hit the ground, the guymelef's open cockpit proved that... Someone revived him after they brought his body back...?_ Dilandau only realized that everyone was staring at him when Dallet met his eyes.

"Dilandau-sama," he said at last, smiling faintly.

"Y-you--how...?" Dilandau demanded, the jumbled words matching his confused thoughts very well. "Are you...the _real_ Dallet?" He asked, squinting at the brown-haired boy.

Looking a little embarrassed, Dallet crossed the room to stand near his commander. Glancing down at his booted feet, he answered, "Yes, Dilandau-sama...I'm really me." He bowed, adding a bit unsurely, "And if you'd allow me to, I'd be honored to continue serving you."

Dilandau didn't answer, staring critically at the boy. He was horribly pale--deathly pale, in fact--but his face was certainly still his own. His lilac eyes were very unique, as was his longish haircut. The burn injuries his death had inflicted had mysteriously disappeared. Dilandau's mind accepted the impossible truth that, somehow, it really was Dallet. Clinging to logic, it added, 'but how?'

"Dallet," Dilandau began, tilting his head to examine the boy's face from a different angle, "How the hell can you possibly _be_ here? You _did_ die, didn't you?" He scowled, adding, "And if you faked it all in some twisted attempt at humor, you'll _wish_ you'd died."

Dallet answered unhappily, "I'm here because I want to be. I...doubt you'll believe _how_, though."

_Lies,_ Dilandau thought. He wasn't sure whether to slap him or yell at him first. The death, the sacrifice of his life, had all been false. And he'd actually fallen for it--he'd actually _cared_. A well of fury began to bubble in his chest, and he would have punched the brown-haired boy if his hands hadn't been clenched into such tight fists.

"I'm not alive." Dilandau's fury was not an easy thing to break through, but these three simple words somehow managed to freeze the silver-haired boy in place. Time seemed to stand still...the other Dragon Slayers didn't dare speak or move, and Dallet seemed afraid to check his commander's expression.

Dilandau himself wasn't sure whether to laugh or unleash the aforementioned fury on the hapless Slayer before him. Did the boy think he was _stupid_? Did he really, honestly believe Dilandau was _foolish_ enough to believe that he could be standing there talking and yet be _dead_?

Before he could think of a reason not to, he had wrapped his fingers around Dallet's throat and lifted the boy off of his feet.

"YOU THINK HURTING US IS _FUNNY_?!" he snarled, shaking his captive rather violently.

"Dilandau-sama!" Shesta's voice could barely be heard over his commander's, as the silver-haired boy tried his best to strangle Dallet. The other boys joined in the horrified chorus: "Dilandau-sama, stop! Don't make Dallet die again! Please!" Desperate as they all sounded, none of them dared to physically stop their commander from doing anything.

Dallet, much to Dilandau's temper's disappointment, didn't appear to be suffering from the lack of air. He wasn't trying to escape the grasp, either. He, Dilandau found, was simply staring at him steadily. Steadily and eerily. And that's when Dilandau realized that no pulse beat against his palms. Regaining some control over himself, the silver-haired boy dropped Dallet abruptly, staring at him in shock.

"Y-you have no pulse!" He stated almost accusingly, too stunned to care that the other Dragon Slayers had witnessed him badly lose his composure.

"...Yes," Dallet sighed, dragging himself up into a kneeling position and touching his neck gingerly. "I told you, I'm _dead_."

Still a bit stunned, Dilandau plopped down on the floor face to face with the brown-haired boy and commanded, "Explain."

"He's here because of the Madoushi," Viole informed them, seating himself cross-legged nearby. Dilandau and Dallet both turned to stare at him for a moment.

"What?" Dilandau demanded, scowling. Noticing this, Viole seemed to shrink a little--usually the Dragon Slayers all knew better than to mention the Madoushi in their commander's presence.

"It's true," Dallet sighed. The two words sounded rather faint, but they managed to grab the attention of everyone in the room and hold it.

"I'm still waiting for an explanation--_how_ are the Madoushi involved?" The scowl remained firmly fixed upon Dilandau's face.

Knowing from experience that angering a scowling Dilandau resulted in unpleasantries, Dallet said, "I'll tell you what I know. I-I'm not sure how they resurrected me so quickly--I'm guessing that they had this planned for sometime and were just waiting for a body to try it on."

"Oh?" Dilandau's eyes narrowed at the thought of Zaibach's sorcerers using one of his Dragon Slayers in their twisted experiments. The Madoushi had been his own shadowy tormenters of much of his lifetime--as long as he could remember, in fact. _If they've done to Dallet anywhere _near_ what they've done to me,_ he thought in half horror, half fury, _I don't _care_ if Dornkirk-sama is displeased, I'll _murder _them...._

"...Dilandau-sama?" The silver-haired boy blinked at the tentative hand on his shoulder. Coming back to the present, he found himself peering into Shesta's large, turquoise eyes. "Are you okay? You're shaking all over!"

Dilandau blinked once, realizing that it was true. He would have slapped Shesta for mentioning it, but then the others might see how much his hands were trembling. Angrily, he clenched them into fists, settling himself with a glare in the blonde boy's direction. Much to his annoyance, Shesta took this as a sign that he was back to normal and only smiled a little before returning to his seat on the floor near Gatti.

Attempting to cling to his composure, Dilandau commented scathingly, "So the Madoushi brought you back to life, then, hm? It's just _like_ them to resurrect someone and forget to give them vital signs."

Dallet nodded, leaning one hand on the floor. He really did look pale...Dilandau wondered idly if he had any blood--or needed it--since he didn't have a heartbeat and apparently didn't need to breath. "Yes, I...I'm sorry if my return came as a shock," the brown-haired boy said quietly, gazing down at his blue boots. _Damn the Madoushi_, Dilandau thought angrily, noticing that Dallet was still in uniform. That meant the sorcerers had stolen him within minutes of his arrival at the morgue. _I'll bet they didn't even wait until he got cold..._

"Madoushi. Resurrection. Explanation," he reminded Dallet pointedly.

Dallet slowly nodded, almost like his head as too heavy to lift up again easily. "I apologize," he sighed, lifting a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear, "The Madoushi, through some combination of...of magic and fate alteration...brought my soul back to my body."

"So how come you're not really alive again, then?" Dilandau demanded, coming to the point of the matter. 'How' and 'why' were his only two concerns at this point.

Dallet sighed, hanging his head. "I-I'm not sure...." He said faintly, placing a hand on nearby Migel's shoulder for support.

Dilandau blinked. "Obviously you're not entirely well again yet," he observed, nodding toward them even though Dallet was still hanging his head, and so couldn't see him.

"Y-yes, I...forgive me..." The last words were faint, and only Migel realized he'd collapsed quickly enough to save him from slumping to the floor. Dilandau rushed over to them, memories of Dallet's death flashing through his head.

"Dallet?" He asked, as Migel carefully placed the brown-haired boy on the floor.

There was no answer.

End Chapter 2

**Heartbeat Akugi!**

Akugi #1:

Narrator: His lilac eyes were very unique, as was his longish haircut.

Dallet: With a mullet akin to Movie Folken's "I hate you, Threshie."

            Akugi #2:

Dallet: "I'm guessing that they had this planned for sometime and were just waiting for a body to try it on."

Dilandau: Pokes the frilly pink ballgown Dallet is wearing "I can see why they waited for a _dead_ somebody."

AN: Gomen for the goofy stuff--I love Akugi in other people's fics. Please R&R--heck, if you've read down this far the least you can do is tell me what ya think. Right? =)


	3. 3 A Favor

**You Don't Need a Heartbeat to Follow Your Heart**

            **Chapter 3 A Favor**

AN: Here's chapter three--please don't flame me for this.... (Oh, yeah, and I do not own Escaflowne, 'cause last I checked my name ain't Kawamori Shouji....)

Shesta and the others all crowded around, as Dilandau touched his fallen Slayer's face.

"Dallet...if you can hear me, _answer_, damn you..." He hated this. Without a pulse or need to breathe, it was impossible to tell if Dallet was dead or just exhausted from his revival. _If he's dead...is that a good thing?_ _The Madoushi's tampering should be reversed, but none of us want to lose Dallet again. Is it a bad thing, to hold onto him like this? Maybe we should be letting him go instead of trying to forget he ever died at all..._

"D...Dilandau-sama..." A small murmur of relief filled the room at Dallet's faint words.

"Dallet!" Dilandau for once threw composure to the wind and allowed himself a smile. "I thought you _died_ again..."

"Forgive me...." The brown-haired boy whispered sadly, "I-I'm so weak... I can't hope to be of any use to you now."

Dilandau frowned to hide his concern. "Weak? Hah! You came back from the _dead_, Dallet--and sacrificed your life for me, too! Can anyone _get_ any stronger?"

Smiling weakly, Dallet closed his eyes. Wincing, he dragged a hand up to press against his chest, right over his heart. "I-I...knew when I decided t...to come back...that it wouldn't last," he managed to say, and Dilandau felt his own heart ache at the pained expression on the other boy's face.

"You mean...you're going to die again?" He asked sadly. Images of Dallet's battered Guymelef and still, broken form loomed in his mind.

When Dallet made no reply, Shesta touched his shoulder, asking in concern, "Isn't there _anything_ we can do for you...?"

Dallet smiled faintly. "Shesta...thank you, but....th-the best thing....anyone could do for me now.....is probably to kill me." The blonde boy didn't answer, but the look in his eyes said better than words that just the thought of killing Dallet made him sick.

"Don't you...even _want_ to live?" Shesta finally asked, sounding a bit hoarse.

"I'm already dead," Dallet closed his eyes, wincing again. "M....my body...can't h-house....my soul for much longer." He forced his eyes open, looking at each of his friends, and offered an unhappy smile. "I...wish I could stay...but I'm not even....really s-supposed to be here now..."

"But...after seeing you die once, nobody here could possibly make themselves _kill_ you," Migel pointed out sadly.

"...I'll do it." The living Dragon Slayers all turned to stare at Dilandau in shock.

"Don't....if you're going to blame yourself....for it, please don't do it." Dallet's lilac eyes pleaded with him.

Frowning, Dilandau forced steel into his voice as he explained, "You're _my_ Dragon Slayer, Dallet--killing you isn't the right or duty of any of them. The responsibility is mine alone."

"Dilandau-sama..." Dallet smiled faintly, his eyes drifting closed. "....Thank you."

"But how're you going to resolve things this way?" Guimel asked, voice wavering a little. "Y-you came back to _fix_ things, didn't you?"

"To resolve....all of your...emotions," Dallet answered, wincing and pressing at his heart again. "I-I just...want you to know....that I blame no one f-for...my death. You guys...y-you're the best friends I...ever had...." He quieted, the pain seeming to have passed for the moment. "D...don't take it wrongly, but...I love you guys, all of you. You're my family..."

"W-we love you, too..." Guimel looked about ready to cry, and his voice betrayed his tears worse than his brimming green eyes did.

"If you do..." Dallet looked at him and sighed, "...D-don't beat yourself up...over it..." The others looked at Dilandau helplessly as the brown-haired boy began to wince again, squeezing his eyes tightly closed.

Standing, Dilandau told the others quietly, "Back...please." Seeing the look in his eyes, they quietly withdrew, murmuring sad farewells to Dallet as they each passed.

Dilandau drew his sword, taking a steadying breath as he knelt beside Dallet. Gritting his teeth, the brown-haired boy dragged his hands away from his heart. "Dallet," Dilandau whispered, too quietly for the others to hear, "I....I'm sorry about this."

"...Don't..." Dallet answered even more softly, "D-don't be, please....it's a favor." Opening his eyes with some difficulty, he smiled weakly. "For me...don't regret."

Glancing into the slanted lilac eyes one last time, Dilandau whispered, "You were one of my best men, Dallet. Be at peace...goodbye." Gripping the hilt of the sword with trembling fingers, he positioned the tip over the other boy's heart...and stabbed.

The blade slid smoothly down through Dallet's chest, piercing the floor beneath him as well. No blood accompanied the wound--there was no heartbeat to spread it. Wordlessly, Dilandau and the others watched as Dallet's eyes drifted closed.

_Now he's really gone,_ Dilandau thought, releasing the blade with trembling fingers. It had neatly pierced Dallet's heart, and the silver-haired boy felt that it shouldn't be moved yet, out of respect. _He's...truly dead. And I'm the one who sent him away._ The realization weighed heavily on Dilandau's shoulders, and suddenly he found it hard to draw a full breath. _But he wanted me to,_ he reminded himself, glancing down at his gloved hands, _it was a favor to him...a favor._

Behind him, the silence was broken by a tiny sob. A glance back told him not only that Guimel was the one who couldn't contain his tears, but also that the rest of the Dragon Slayers were in similar emotional states. Shesta was in tears, himself, and trying not to cry outright, while Migel couldn't look at his fallen friend and Gatti couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. Viole had both hands pressed over his mouth, tears streaming silently down both cheeks as he stared in horror at Dallet.

"A...at least...he won't be in pain now," Kagero spoke up, swiping at his own eyes.

"Yes," Dilandau swallowed, glancing at the older Dragon Slayer briefly before turning back to Dallet. Staring at the sword's shining blade, he repeated in a whisper, "At least..."

Suddenly, Dallet's fingers twitched. Dilandau blinked, then stared in shock as the brown-haired boy's hands lifted, trembling, to press against his chest around the blade.

"Dilandau.....-sama...." Dallet's lilac eyes slid open, regarding his shocked commander with a tired, pained look.

Recovering from his shock somewhat, Dilandau gritted his teeth, realizing the truth.

"The Madoushi," he whispered dangerously, eyes still locked with Dallet's. _Of course...I should have realized sooner! The magic of the Madoushi is the only reason Dallet is even alive right now, even with dead vital signs. He won't be able to die unless they cancel their spells--or unless their spell-casting is ended. Permanently._ Dilandau growled, whirling to face the others with a violent glint in his pale red eyes. "Get to your Guymelefs," he hissed, We're going sorcerer hunting."

End Chapter 3

**Heartbeat Akugi! Volume 2**

            Akugi #3

Narrator: Suddenly, Dallet's fingers twitched. Dilandau blinked, then stared in shock as the brown-haired boy's hands lifted and formed into a very rude finger-sign.

Dallet: "Next...time..._behead _me....got it?"

Dilandau: Oo;;

            Akugi #4

Shesta: (Concerned) "Isn't there _anything_ we can do for you...?"

Dallet: (Smiles faintly) "Bury me."

AN: Eheheh, the Akugi seem to be too fun to skip out on... (Shrug) I changed my formatting for the Akugi actions because the asterisks I was using disappear in the final HTML document. Anyway, I hope I don't get mercilessly murdered for this chapter, but it was in my original outline. (Sweatdrops and grins nervously) Yes, I have the whole thing outlined, so don't worry, I fully intend to finish it. Thanks for all your reviews on the previous chapters--feel like adding one for this one? =) Feedback is always nice--I love to see who else on is a Dragon Slayer and Dilandau fan.


	4. 4 Plans

You Don't Need a Heartbeat to Follow Your Heart  
  
Chapter 4 Plans  
  
AN: Kenshin-style disclaimer, manga edition! A-hem: This one does not own Escaflowne. ;)  
  
Instead of dashing to their Guymelefs as ordered, the Dragon slayers fidgeted, avoiding Dilandau's eyes. He glared at them--why the hell weren't they _moving?  
  
_"Dilandau-sama..." As usual, Gatti was the only one brave enough to speak up against their angry commander.  
  
"_What_?" The silver-haired boy snapped, glaring at him.  
  
Gatti sighed, "Sir...how can we kill the Madoushi if we don't know where they are?"  
  
As usual, Gatti was promptly slapped for being the voice of reason, too. And, as usual, he didn't seem at all phased by it, much to Dilandau's frustration. He fumed for a moment, but finally realized that the blonde Dragon Slayer had a point--none of them knew the location of the Madoushi. He frowned at Gatti, whose eyes seem to whisper, 'I told you so,' but admitted, "I..._know_ we don't know where they are. But we'll find out!"  
  
"...How?" Shesta asked, sensing that their commander's anger had ebbed for the moment.  
  
_That's true--how the hell _are_ we going to find out where to go?_ Dilandau wondered. His summoned back the horrible memories he'd shoved away until now, but all he could recall was the sight of dark and dank cells and halls, needles, and an endless flow of pain. Scowling, he shoved the memories roughly away and glared at Shesta.  
  
"Why don't _you_ tell _me_?" He suggested venomously. The unfortunate truth was that all of his prominant memories of the Madoushi were snatches of horrifying experiences he's gone through at their hands--he really had no idea where their keep was.  
  
Shesta blinked, taken aback by the question. Evidently, he'd expected Dilandau to have some smart solution to the problem at hand. "M-maybe Dallet remembers...?"  
  
All eyes turned toward the brown-haired boy, who still lay on the floor with Dilandau's sword through his chest. For all the appearance of having been murdered, he was watching the others intently and listening to their conversation. A bit guiltily, Dilandau knelt beside him and glanced at the sword. "Dallet...?" He met the other boy's eyes.  
  
Dallet smiled faintly. "I...it's okay, it...won't hurt....if you pull it out."  
  
"You're lying," Dilandau sighed, "You said earlier you still felt pain."  
  
"Dilandau-sama...." He winced, "I-I don't...want it there.....honest." He smiled again. "D...don't go soft...on me."  
  
Dilandau smiled faintly, himself, as he said truthfully, "I think it's a little late for that now." Sighing, he gripped the sword hilt. Out of the corner of his eye he noted Guimel and Gatti averting their eyes. The blade came out even easier than it had gone in, and Dallet, with his eyes closed, didn't appear to have felt it. Sitting the weapon aside with a frown, the albino boy told the others rather loudly, "It's _over_, you can look now. Some battle-hardened soldiers _you_ are..." In truth his fingers shook a bit, themselves, but he'd rather die than admit it.  
  
"Dallet," he grew serious again--it was hard to look at the state his fallen Slayer was in and not get upset. "The Madoushi had you at their keep...do you remember where it is?"  
  
Dallet dragged his eyes open and winced. "I was....only brought there....when they called me...to my body," he whispered, sighing. "I-I'm sorry....it all went so fast....f-forgive me."  
  
Dilandau frowned, "Don't ask me for forgiveness you don't need."  
  
Dallet sighed, eyes drifting closed. _Those damned Madoushi,_ Dilandau thought, as the brown-haired boy winced again, clutching his heart. _How _dare_ they torture people and then hide away in the shadows! If I knew where they were, they would already be dead..._  
  
"Dilandau-sama...?" Migel ventured, kneeling near the albino boy.  
  
Dilandau looked at him, a frown firmly fixed on his face. "What now?"  
  
"I...have an idea," Migel glanced down at Dallet, who had quieted, and smiled an uneasy smile. "You might not like hearing it, though. I'm sure we're all thinking it, but I decided to speak up first this time instead of letting Gatti have it like usual." Behind him, Gatti made a strange face--halfway between thankfulness and surprise.  
  
"Try me," Dilandau answered tartly, scowling. He'd just gone through the shock of one of his Dragon Slayers dying, then coming back from the dead, then collapsing, _then_ having to _kill_ him again with his own sword--he figured that anything Migel had to add couldn't possibly make his day any worse, no matter what it was.  
  
Shrugging, Migel said frankly, "You're still a subject of the Madoushi, Dilandau-sama. Why don't you lure them out?"  
  
_Amazing, _Dilandau thought bitterly, _that he's actually succeeded in making my day worse than it was already. Those damned Madoushi! It's not like they come when I call them--what in the hell is he thinking?_ Raising an eyebrow, he asked the brunette Dragon Slayer dubiously, "What do you have in mind? They aren't on the _Vione_, so how the hell could I 'lure' them out of hiding, even if I _knew_ what you meant?"  
  
"I think I understand," Shesta said, coming over to sit beside Dilandau on the floor, too--it was getting a bit crowded there, actually. "Migel means that Folken-sama would have the Madoushi come and take you away if you weren't acting like yourself, Dilandau-sama."  
  
Migel nodded, "Yes, and then we could follow them back to their keep, wherever that is."  
  
Dilandau slowly blinked, this idea sinking in. _That's right...they _do_ come whenever I get rebellious, don't they? To 'adjust' me to Folken's liking... Damn them all!_ He looked at Dallet's pale face, frowning to himself. _But if we don't do something...not only will Dallet never be able to die, but they'll eventually come and find him here, too! And then he might...turn out like _me_..._  
  
The thought alone made him shudder. No one but the Madoushi themselves should have to go through what they'd done to Dilandau. Certainly not Dallet, and especially not when he'd just come back for the sake of Dilandau and the other Dragon Slayers...  
  
He sighed. He hated to do this, but... _If we don't stop the sorcerers, no one will. For Dallet, myself and every other person whose fate they've toyed with, they will _BURN_..._  
  
"All right. If we play it right, it should work," he announced at last, looking up. His Dragon Slayers stared in shock. Normally if any of them had so much as brought up the Madoushi, nevermind doing such a thing as baiting them to take Dilandau away, they would have gotten backhanded. The silver-haired boy wasn't exactly thrilled with what he'd have to do, as being taken captive by the Madoushi was always a traumatic experience, but he'd do it if it would rid Gaea of the sorcerers once and for all. If it would free Dallet, and himself, from their clutches forever...  
  
"But how are you supposed to act to convince Folken-sama there's something wrong with you?" Gatti asked pointedly, breaking the albino's train of thought. He wisely remained across the room as he added, "I mean, you _already_ act fairly crazy, Dilandau-sama."  
  
"Yes, _thank you_, Gatti," Dilandau glared at the blonde. Frowning thoughtfully, he glanced at all of the Dragon Slayers who had come over to be near him. They were sitting in nearly a perfect circle around him and Dallet, anxiously watching his expression. _Wait,_ Dilandau blinked, an amusing thought surfacing. _Could I possibly...? Oh, Folken would _definitely_ believe I'd lost it..._ Slowly, a devious smirk spread across his face. "Everyone come over here and sit down," he ordered those still standing. "I've got an idea that's practically _guaranteed_ to work..."  
  
End Chapter 4  
  
**Heartbeat Akugi! Volume 3  
**  
Akugi #5  
  
Gatti: "How can we kill the Madoushi if we don't know where they are?"  
  
Dilandau: "Simple--we BURN THE WHOLE WORLD!! MWAHAHAHA!"  
  
Dragon Slayers: (Sweatdrop) "Except ourselves...right?"  
  
Dilandau: (Ignores them) "MWAHAHAHAHAHA...."  
  
Dragon Slayers: "This does not bode well..."  
  
Akugi #6  
  
Gatti: "But how are you supposed to act to convince Folken-sama there's something wrong with you?" (Pointedly) "Can you _get_ any worse?"  
  
Dilandau: (Teary eyes) "That was cold..."  
  
AN: Thanks for all of your reviews--it's always so cool to hear what my story made people think of! I hope the last chapter didn't get too melodramatic, eheh... Don't worry, the story's going to take a slightly more humerous turn for a bit... Until next time, then. Please review--I love feedback, that I do. =) (Can anyone tell I've recently bought myself the first two Kenshin DVDs?) 


	5. 5 Resigning

**You Don't Need a Heartbeat to Follow Your Heart**

**Chapter 5 -- Resigning**

By Threshie (who's so scatterbrained she forgot to note this for two chapters before this one.... -.-;; Oooya...)

AN: Wow, I've sure taken my sweet time on this update... (Sweatdrop) Sorry, guys! Car troubles kept me from my computer for awhile. I'm glad you all liked Chapter 4 (and here I thought you'd all think it was a lame transition chapter...LOL...) Well, here's Dilandau-sama's plan in action--enjoy! Oh, yeah, and I don't own Escaflowne, no da!

* * *

Shesta tried his best to look serious as he walked down the cold, dim halls of the _Vione_. It was a difficult thing to do with Dilandau's plan still fresh in his mind. _I sure hope Folken-sama buys it, otherwise he'll just demand to know what's going on,_ the blonde boy thought as he gave an intentionally timid knock on the Strategos' large black door.

"Enter," Folken's deep voice called, and Shesta carefully composed a rather panicked expression before obeying. He mussed up his hair a bit, got a wide-eyed look halfway between shock and nervousness and inched inside, staring down at the toes of his blue boots. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Folken's mop of green hair--he was sitting at the documents table. "A Dragon Slayer," he noted, looking a bit surprised that one of the boys would come speak to him directly. "Do you have a message from Dilandau?"

Shesta knew he was further surprised that it wasn't Gatti, as the taller boy always handled messages. "N-no, Sir," he answered meekly, trying very hard not to smile. _So far, so good..._

Folken blinked. Sitting the papers he'd been studying aside, he left the table and came over to stand beside Shesta. His height was all the more intimidating close up, and the blonde boy fidgeted a little bit. "If you have no message from your commander...why are you here?"

"I-it's about Dilandau-sama, Sir," Shesta answered, adding a fairly decent false tremor to his voice. _Think of something scary,_ he told himself, trying his best to maintain an uneasy expression. _Uhh...Dilandau-sama when he's angry? Well, that's scary, but it happens so often I'm used to it..._

Folken crossed his metal dragon arm over his real one, raising an eyebrow. "If Dilandau had anything to say, he would have sent a message with you," he pointed out skeptically.

"W-well, he doesn't know I'm here..." Shesta answered, very quietly. He was rather proud when he noticed that Folken had to lean down a little to hear him. _Something scary, something scary..._ An image of a large, bloated dragon about to breathe fire on him drifted into his mind. Instead of frightening him, it almost made the blonde boy smile, which wasn't good. _Ooookay, no dragons..._

Folken, meanwhile, was frowning. "I believe you owe me some sort of explanation for this visit," he intoned, looking down his nose at the Dragon Slayer. He probably didn't know he was doing it, though, since he _did_ have a fairly long nose--maybe he had to do that all of the time.

_Come on...something _really_ scary..._ "Folken-sama," Shesta summed up the courage to stare the Strategos straight in the eye and lie, "I-I'm not sure what to do, is all... Dilandau-sama...something's _wrong_ with him..." _Allen Schezar...now _there's_ something scary!_ A look of horror crossed his face.

"Wrong?" Folken blinked, probably perplexed at the freaked-out expression that the blonde boy suddenly had. Carefully, he asked, "How do you mean?"

Shesta sighed. "You...won't tell Dilandau-sama that _I_ was the one who told you...will you?"

Folken frowned, "It's something I disapprove of, then? Tell me."

"D..Dilandau-sama's decided to become a pacifist, Sir." Shesta wished there were some way to capture the hilarious expression on the green-haired man's face. Folken wore a look somewhere between shock and bemusement. Slowly, just once, he blinked. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes, he raised his real hand and pointed in the Dragon Slayer's general direction.

"You....I don't think I...heard you correctly."

"Dilandau-sama's decided to become a pacifist, Sir," Shesta repeated carefully, sighing. "I just thought that I should inform you because he plans not to give you any notice at all...h-he's going to order the Dragon Slayers to all resign from Zaibach, and then do the same immediately afterward."

"Dilandau..._resign_?" Folken looked like someone had just told him that the Mystic Moon was really made of cheese. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he told the blonde boy, "I'll go speak to him directly." He started to head out the door, then evidently it finally occurred to him that he had no idea where an insane (well, more insane than usual, anyway) Dilandau might be. Turning, he ordered Shesta, "Take me to Dilandau immediately."

Saluting, Shesta hurriedly led him out the door. _Phew...I made it through my part of the plan,_ he thought with relief. _That was actually kind of fun. Now, I only hope everything goes well with Dilandau-sama's and everyone else's parts._

* * *

Viole sighed, glancing at Dallet again. Dilandau had left the brown-haired boy in his care while the rest of the Dragon Slayers and him went and hopefully lured the Madoushi out of hiding. Unfortunately, there wasn't much that Viole could do for Dallet except talk to him, and Dallet had never been much of a conversationalist.

_Neither have I,_ Viole thought unhappily, listening as a solitary pair of footsteps passed by outside the door. They were still inside the Dragon Slayers' quarters, where they had all concocted the strange plan earlier. Dallet was in no shape to move, and besides, if anyone saw him they'd realize he was supposed to be dead right now.

The subject of the Slayer's thoughts gave a shallow little sigh, dragging tired lilac eyes open to stare up at him. "Viole...?"

"Yes?" The purple-haired slayer forced a smile to his face, glancing over. Dallet was still lying on the floor--Viole had offered to help him sit up, or even just to bring him a pillow, but the brown-haired boy claimed he was as comfortable as he could be at the moment. Judging from the cold metal he was laying on, it must have been pretty uncomfortable, but Viole let him have his way.

And now the brown-haired boy was watching him. "Do you...think that D...Dilandau-sama's plan will work? Folken--sama's...hard to fool..."

"True..." Viole's smile felt a little less forced, as he recalled Dilandau's words from their little meeting before. Pacifists, indeed... "But if anybody can pull this off and actually make Folken-sama believe it, it would be Dilandau-sama."

"B-but..." Dallet trailed off, wincing. The wincing turned to almost choking, and he squeezed his eyes tightly closed, pressing a hand to his heart. Viole tugged one of his purple curls uncomfortably, knowing that there wasn't really anything he could do to make his friend feel better. Thankfully, the bursts of pain always seemed to be short. As with the ones before it, this one ended quickly.

"Maybe you shouldn't be talking," Viole suggested tentatively when it had passed. "I think it makes it get worse..."

"No..." The brown-haired boy sighed faintly, "I....I think they messed up....their experiment. I think....even if I just lay here.....I-I'd still be hurting..."

"Dilandau-sama will find them," Viole assured him. "Then they'll never hurt anybody again...and you won't have to suffer anymore for the sake of their twisted experiments."

"It's....partly my own fault, you know..." Dallet shuddered, squeezing at his heart again. Viole wanted to wince just watching him...

"You didn't do anything to deserve this," he countered unhappily, "You died for Dilandau-sama, and _any_ of us would have done that without a second thought!"

"But....I-I _chose_...to come back. I..._chose_....to put you all through all of this...." Dallet whispered, and Viole was surprised at the tears in his voice.

"But you just wanted to keep us from blaming ourselves for your death!" He protested, feeling a bit tearful himself. _The Madoushi put him through this horrible experience and he's saying it's _his_ fault? _

"Yes...." There was a short silence, and Viole was beginning to worry a little, when Dallet finally added, "But....would it have....hurt less to leave will enough alone...?"

"Dallet, I'm _glad_ you came back," he said seriously, "I think that if you hadn't, Dilandau-sama would be blaming himself for what happened. Yes, you chose to come back, and _yes_, we're in a difficult situation at the moment, but that doesn't make it all your fault. The Madoushi were going to try and resurrect you whether you helped them or not! How do you _know_ it wouldn't have worked if you didn't come back willingly?"

"But I _did_..."

"But you didn't _maliciously_," Viole pointed out, frowning. Dallet looked at him sadly, and the purple-haired boy noticed again how very pale he was. His lilac eyes seemed like jewels set in ivory...it was fair, in a frightening way.

"But it's still hurting people," he whispered.

* * *

As Folken and Shesta neared the door to Dilandau's throne room, the sound of voices drifted to their ears. The blonde boy opened the double doors only a crack, peering inside with wide eyes. _Dilandau-sama never mentioned this,_ he thought curiously, noting that the rest of the Dragon Slayers (Viole and Dallet being the exceptions, of course) were all seated in a circle on the throne room's vast floor. Seated cross-legged and dressed in only the leather pants and short blue undershirts that were usually hidden by armor.

Dilandau sat similarly clothed as part of the ring--other than the color of his purple undershirt, there was no distinction in rank between the boys at the moment. All of them had their eyes closed, and had peaceful or sad expressions on their faces.

Whispering through the silence of the room like a breeze, Dilandau's voice captured the two eavesdroppers where they stood.

"In the stillness of the crying dawn," the silver-haired boy sang gently, "Tearful like the storm outside..."

Migel's lower voice joined his, as they nearly whispered out, "I cradle your memories...to my heart."

The others' voices faded away, and Gatti, who was to the left of Migel, sang the next part in a surprisingly emotional voice. "I'm too afraid that I can't go on, afraid of what pain I'll find..."

And in joined Guimel to Gatti's left. "I feel I just can't let you die...I'd fall apart."

"Stay please...don't go...don't just leave me your tears upon the window..." The soft raising of the whole circle's voices surprised Shesta out of the trance he'd fallen into. _Wow...if Folken-sama doesn't think _this_ is an obvious enough display of out-of-characterness for Dilandau-sama, I don't think we'll ever convince him,_ he thought, as Folken reached forward to push the doors open.

"Dilandau!" He called, sounding annoyed. When the silver-haired boy looked up in surprise, he asked plainly, "What are you _doing_?"

Dilandau offered a sad little smile in reply. Standing, he told the circle of Dragon Slayers gently, "Please carry on without me--I have to speak with Folken-sama." A bunch of solemn nods and murmurs of agreement answered him, and he came over to Folken smiling a little. While he was doing this, Shesta was thinking to himself that that was the first time he'd _ever_ heard Dilandau called Folken the respectful 'sama', rank or no rank.

"Trying to heal some wounded hearts," Dilandau murmured when they were standing over near the doors. Shesta listened on the other side, peering through the open crack in what he hoped was an inconspicuous manner.

Folken blinked, uttering a very un-Folken-like word: "Huh?"

"You asked me what I was doing," Dilandau explained with a slight smile. "I was just answering your question."

Folken frowned. Warily, he said, "I...hear that you plan to resign from Zaibach."

Dilandau's face brightened, "That's right--but first I'm freeing all of the Dragon Slayers of their slavery here."

"Slavery?" Folken raised an eyebrow, "As far as I know they are perfectly willing to obey the orders given to them, even with their own lives at stake."

"Yes..." Dilandau sighed, glancing down at the polished floor with an honestly sad expression. "Folken-sama...carrying out orders for Zaibach is how we all lost Dallet. I never want to go through that again." He looked up at the green-haired man with tears shimmering in his pale red eyes, as he whispered, "I don't want _any_ of us to go through that again. If I'd only realized sooner what horrors I was committing...was commanding _them_ to commit...than Dallet may not have had to sacrifice his life to teach me."

Folken sighed. "I knew from watching you when you returned that you were all disturbed by the death of a fellow Dragon Slayer. However, death is something everyone in a military organization should be prepared for--you can't let your career be ruined by the death of one man under your command." Dilandau shook his head, smiling sadly.

"You just haven't lost your own Dallet yet." He swiped at his eyes, sighing. "A-anyway, I don't want to get upset all over again--it'd just upset them," he glanced at the Dragon Slayers, who still sat singing softly, "And I've done them enough harm already. Folken-sama." He met the tall man's garnet eyes seriously, "I _am_ resigning from Zaibach--there is no way that you could turn me back into the horrible creature I was before, and I don't want you to try." His eyes softened, as he added, "Please."

Folken, Shesta noted with satisfaction, seemed to be unable to decide whether to stare in open-mouthed shock or laugh at the strangeness of it all. Both would have been very bizarre actions for him, so the blonde boy was glad when he did neither.

Instead, the green-haired man just sighed.

"Dilandau," he said just as seriously, "If you leave Zaibach, you have no career or place to go. What do you plan to do with yourself and all of these Dragon Slayers if you really leave?"

"Oh, we've already sat down and democratically agreed on that," Dilandau brightened again, ignoring Folken's strange look at the 'democratically'. "After leaving Zaibach, we'll all travel to a small rural mountain village--perhaps in Freid--where we'll become gentle vegetarians! We'll grow our own lettuce and herbs, and of course we'll have plenty enough to help feed our furry little friends in the forest nearby." He sighed happily at the thought, eyes acquiring a dreamy, faraway look.

This time, Folken _did_ stare in shock, though he managed to keep his jaw from dropping open.

"V..._vegetarian_?" He asked weakly, "_You_?" Dilandau went back to teary-eyed mode, hanging his head as if ashamed.

"Yes...I've already hurt so many poor animals that I couldn't live with myself if I kept eating _meat_..."

Folken scraped together what minescule bits of composure he had left and said tiredly, "Please, _please_ tell me that this is some kind of joke."

Dilandau blinked, looking up.

"Why?" He asked seriously. "Don't you _like_ furry woodland animals?"

Folken sighed gloomily, "I haven't met many." Growing serious, he said testily, "If you mean what you say, though, then you won't like the news I have for you."

"What kind of news?" Dilandau raised an eyebrow.

"New orders, to be more accurate." Folken frowned, "Dornkirk-sama has recently sent me the word that you and your Dragon Slayers are ordered to advance on Basram. Is your resolution to resign so firm that you will refuse these orders outright?"

The silver-haired boy's eyes flashed with some strong emotion. "I'll be frank with you, Folken-sama. I want no more to do with violence...and neither do my Dragon Slayers."

Sighhing, Folken murmured, "I had a feeling that your opinion wouldn't change. Excuse me, then, while I go locate some _soldiers_ to carry out Dornkirk-sama's will..." He turned and headed for the door, a troubled frown on his face. "Thank you for mentioning this," he told Shesta, who still stood outside the door.

Shesta nodded. Folken was about to go, but a thought occurred to him. Turning back, he asked the blonde boy a bit hesitantly, "Will...will you actually _follow_ Dilandau when he quits Zaibach and...does everything else he said he'd do?"

Shesta glanced at the door and smiled inwardly. _Hook, line and sinker..._

"We Dragon Slayers have all pledged our lives to Dilandau-sama, not to Zaibach," he told Folken matter-of-factly. "So, if our fate is to quit the military and become goat-herders in Freid, living off of the land and eventually marrying wolfgirls and having some _really_ strange-looking children, then we'll gladly follow him there."

Folken tried to imagine Dilandau as a goat-herder and failed miserably. "Wasn't it...vegetarian gardeners?" He asked. Shesta opened his mouth to speak, but the green-haired man sighed, raising a hand to silence him. "Nevermind, it doesn't really matter anyway," he said tiredly.

The blonde boy watched his retreating back as he wandered gloomily away. _This will bring the Madoushi here for a visit for sure,_ he thought a bit worriedly. _Dilandau-sama...I hope he knows what he's doing. I never thought he'd do this much just for Dallet...I wonder if he also wants revenge on the sorcerers for himself...?_

"Hah!" Shesta jumped at the loud voice right next to his ear. Turning, he saw a grinning Dilandau leaning his head out of the door. The albino boy gave a rather demented giggle, commenting, "Did you _see_ his face? I think he was about to faint!"

"Y-yes, Dilandau-sama," Shesta smiled nervously, feeling very transparent. It was a good thing Dilandau wasn't telepathic.... _Nonsense, Shesta,_ he told himself in what was supposed to be a reassuring tone, _If he heard _half_ of what you thought, he'd have killed you by now!_

Dilandau grinned, snagging his Slayer by the arm and dragging him into the throne room. "And now it's all in Folken's hands!" Another decidedly unpacifistic giggle filled the air as the door slammed shut, and Shesta hoped that Folken wasn't still within earshot.

End Chapter 5

* * *

**Heartbeat Akugi! Volume 4**

**Akugi #7**

Shesta: "Folken-sama..." (Lying blatantly) "I-I'm not sure what to do, is all... Dilandau-sama...something's _wrong_ with him..." (Thinks of Allen; faints dead away)

THUD.

Folken: (Blinks) "Dilandau should really let them get a full hour of sleep once in awhile..."

**Akugi #8**

Dilandau: (Singing) "In the stillness of the crying dawn...Tearful like the storm outside..."

Dragon Slayers in circle: (Strained, slightly pained smiles, trying not to get out of character)

Folken: (Clamps his hands over his ears) "Dilandau! Good LORD, your singing voice is AWFUL! What are you DOING?! Keep it up and we'll all be DEAF! (Annd where did you get those CHEESY song lyrics?)"

**Akugi #9**

Dallet: "I..._chose_....to put you all through all of--to put you all of you all through all of---all--ARGH!"

Viole: (Pats his head, smiling sweetly) "Yeah, I think it's an ackward line, too...."

**Akugi #10**

Gatti: "I'm too afraid that I can't go on, afraid of what pain I'll find..."

Guimel: (Teary eyes, missing his cue entirely) "Th...that was beautiful...." (Sob)

Everybody Else: (Sweatdrop)

* * *

AN: Okies, well, now Dilandau's plan is in action. Will it work? Will the Dragon Slayers be dragged away for mental readjustment, too? ;; Let's hope not... If you would review this chapter, I'd be very happy. Did any of you guess what Dilandau's plan was before you read this? I hope it wasn't _too_ predictable, LOL... Or too cheesy, for that matter...oya. (Major sweatdroppage) I guess it is what it is. At any rate, C'ya next chapter.


	6. 6 Prepation

You Don't Need a Heartbeat to Follow Your Heart

Chapter 6 Preparation

By Threshie

AN: Bows I apologize for the extremely long time this chapter was in coming. I'm still unsure of its contents, but I've decided it's good enough after reading it over. I hope it doesn't disappoint anybody… Sorry the plot seems so slow, but this _is_ a character-driven story after all. Here's some more Dragon Slayer/Dilandau interaction, as well as a bit of humor and a bit of drama. Enjoy!

* * *

Everyone turned to look as the door to the throne room was opened at last. Migel leaned inside and nodded once, gesturing for them to follow him. Dilandau grinned to himself, heading out the door with the rest of the boys. He'd sent Migel to make sure that Folken had really gone back to his study before they left the throne room, lest they give away the act they'd so carefully done for him.

Swiftly, the group returned to their quarters and hurried inside.

The silver-haired boy nearly winced as he stepped through the door--the atmosphere itself seemed heavier, sadder. Seeing Viole's unhappy expression, then Dallet's pained one, he sighed. The fun part of the plan was over--now came the tricky one.

"Well, that went smoothly!" He declared a bit overly loudly, trying to break the ice. The others who had been with him murmured excitedly in agreement, seating themselves on the floor or the beds and making themselves comfortable. They knew that all they could do right now was wait for Folken to inform the Madoushi of Dilandau's strange behavior and enlist them to fix it. Sitting down on the floor beside Dallet, the silver-haired boy asked, "Still here?" Dallet sighed, nodding a little.

Opening his eyes, he looked at his commander, asking softly, "D...do you think...it'll work?"

Dilandau smirked at the memory of Folken's expression. "I think Folken was on the verge of panic! He probably couldn't get back to the communications room and call the Madoushi fast enough." _He'd never accept a resignation from me so easily, not when all he has to do is give the word… How disgusting._ _I'm not really free to do whatever I want, not unless it's within _their_ range of tolerance…_

"Dilandau-sama--" The brown-haired boy began, but a wince cut his sentence short. "D-Diliandau-sama," he began again a moment later, sighing, "A-are you...sure you w-want to do this...? I...don't like th...the idea...of the Madoushi...hurting you j-just...to help me."

"I refuse to back down now," Dilandau frowned, "They've hurt so many people, including you and I, that I'm determined to rid the world of them once and for all. Besides...even if all of those other people hadn't been involved, I would kill them for you, so that you could rest." _And so that _I_ could have power over _them_ for once, the damned little manipulative--_

"Dallet's question brings to mind another one, though," Gatti spoke up, breaking Dilandau's train of thought before he could embellish it with some of his favorite profanities. Coming over, the blonde boy knelt and asked softly, "How do they usually come, Dilandau-sama? I don't think we've ever been present when they....took you away. We have to be able to follow them once they have you, though, and I'm afraid they'll transport you with a spell."

"That would be horrible!" Shesta exclaimed, overhearing them. This drew everyone else's attention, and before Dilandau could reply to Gatti's question, every Dragon Slayer in the room had crowded around to listen and offer their own suggestions.

"We could catch one and force him to take us to their keep as soon as he appeared," Guimel offered.

"Or knock his lights out and hold him hostage 'til the others reversed their work on Dallet!" Migel spoke up.

"We could put a tracker on Dilandau-sama…." Shesta was looking more and more unhappy about Dilandau being the martyr in this plan.

"But what if the spell is tailored to transport only a person and their clothing? The tracker would be left behind," Gatti, ever the practical one, pointed out. "Then they'd have teleported Dilandau-sama away without a trace!"

"You're all getting ahead of yourselves." Dilandau interrupted. Instantly, the others quieted, looking at him with mixed guilt and worry in their eyes. "They can't use teleportation spells on others, only themselves," he informed the concerned crowd, sweatdropping when they all sighed in relief upon hearing this. _I guess it _would_ be pretty horrible to bait the Madoushi into taking me away and then not be able to follow,_ he decided. Observing the worried and concerned looks on his Dragon Slayers' faces, he sighed.

"You all know the Madoushi are a nasty bunch," he told them pointedly. "You all also know that whenever they take me away, they...usually hurt me. All I've got say about this is that it's _essential_ that they reach their keep before they know you're following them. If they realize our plan, they'll have me prisoner _and_ Dallet will still be suffering. Understand?"

"Yes, Dilandau-sama..." The others murmured unhappily.

"They usually come at night," Dilandau continued, trying to ignore the pained looks in most of their eyes--any of them would rather they were taken by the Madoushi than the sorcerers hurting _him_, but the plan required him as the target. "They'll probably poke me with some damned needle, so I doubt I'll be awake enough to keep track of where we're going." He sighed. No wonder he couldn't remember where their keep was--he'd always been drugged whenever they'd taken him there! To his left, Shesta sighed, too.

"Are we supposed to follow in our Guymelefs, Dilandau-sama?" He asked dubiously.

"I think they'd detect them too easily," Gatti offered his opinion. Realizing he'd cut off Dilandau's chance to reply, he bowed his head, "Sorry, Dilandau-sama..."

The silver-haired boy frowned, "It's fine, Gatti. You...have a point." Slowly, six heads turned to stare at him in surprise, and he sweatdropped. _They act like I disregard anything Gatti says,_ he thought in annoyance, stating, "We can't go in our Guymelefs--even if you had yours, mine would still be here in the bay. However, a sword alone is no match for a sorcerer's magic, so I suggest we arm ourselves with something extra."

"Such as?" Migel asked. For some reason, the brunette always seemed to know when his commander had something particular in mind.

Dilandau grinned, standing and heading for his dresser. Opening the top drawer, he rummaged through a myriad of black and red socks until he finally located his prize--a pair of shiny red gauntlets.

"These," the silver-haired boy explained with what must have been a rather eerie fanged grin, "Are a new toy of mine. I made them myself!"

"How can gloves help us fight the Madoushi, Dilandau-sama?" Shesta voiced all of their thoughts uneasily.

Shrugging, Dilandau snatched up one of the socks from the drawer and ordered them, "Watch." He slipped one of the gauntlets on. The others watched closely and a bit confusedly as he tossed the sock in the air, clenching his gloved hand into a fist and pointing toward it. Instantly, four slender jets of flames spewed from the knuckles of the gauntlet, enveloping and melting the sock.

It had burnt away to a sifting of black ash before it reached the floor.

"I call them Fire Knuckles," Dilandau grinned, slipping the one he'd been wearing off again. "They can't burn things as quickly as the flamethrower on my Alseides, but they're plenty destructive enough to light cloth on fire. Or shall I say black _robes_?" The Dragon Slayers, recognizing the reference to the Madoushi choice of clothing, smiled amongst themselves and began to murmur excitedly about this new weapon.

"But there aren't enough for all of us, Dilandau-sama," Gatti pointed out in his usual logical fashion. In a good mood from burning something, Dilandau decided not to slap him this time.

Instead, he explained, "I was working on ones for you all, but I haven't painted them yet." He sweatdropped, "So they're currently a metallic grey, instead of blue to match your uniforms. However, they work, which means you're all fully armed!"

Standing and coming over to examine the gauntlets, Viole asked softly, "How do they work?"

"I was wondering that, myself!" Migel joined them, smiling. "If we're going to use them to torch Madoushi, we'd better practice."

"All right…" Dilandau sweatdropped, turning back to the dresser to dig some more. The Dragon Slayers sweatdropped, too, when they realized he'd crammed eight more pairs of gauntlets into the sock drawer alone. When he saw how they were all staring, the silver-haired boy scowled, snapping, "What're you sitting around for? Get the hell over here and get your pair!"

"Yes, Dilandau-sama," the room (with the exception of Dallet) chorused, and Dilandau suddenly found himself surrounded by Dragon Slayers again. _Someone tell me again why I keep this many people around…?_ 'Because then you're not alone,' some distant, gentler part of him responded, but his much-louder self-absorbed side drowned it out with, 'C'mon, you need _something_ to slap!'

Frowning and trying to ignore his confusing inner thoughts, he handed a pair of grey metal gauntlets to each boy. Every one of them poked and prodded the new weapons, examining them from every angle like they were made of some precious material.

"A-hem," Dilandau cleared his throat, glaring when they finally tore their eyes away from the new toys long enough to acknowledge his presence. "Do you want to know how to _use_ them, or are you content to stare at them all day?"

"I'm game to learn," Migel replied, slipping his pair of gauntlets on easily. "I'm just not really sure where the trigger is, eheh…"

"Your emotions are the trigger," Dilandau answered rather sourly, scowling.

"Really?" The brunette smiled brightly, "You mean if somebody startled me right now I could torch your hair off by accident?" The others paused for a moment, and Dilandau sweatdropped as they began to sputter at the mental images.

"Shut up and listen!" He growled, snapping them out of their amusement.

"Yes Dilandau-sama…"

"Sorry, Dilandau-sama…"

"Dilandau-sama, where does the fuel load into these things?" Guimel held his upside-down, peering at it curiously. "There doesn't seem to be enough room for flame-thrower fuel in these little knuckle-holes…"

"They run out easily," Dilandau answered, glad somebody was interested in learning about the weapon instead of—from his point of view--goofing off. "However—"

"How're we going to burn the Madoushi, then, if we run out after a few blasts?" Kagero asked, then cringed a little—he hadn't meant to interrupt, after all.

Miraculously, as far as the others were concerned, Dilandau didn't slap him or even shoot him a glare. For some reason, Kagero never got slapped or anything…maybe it was because he was older than everyone else but Ryuon.

"How_ever_," Dilandau repeated, opting not to even look at Kagero, "I've designed a fuel pack that gives you a hundred jets for each knuckle." He held up one of his gauntlets, pointing at the top inside of it as he explained, "The feed lines plug in here, and then run up your arm to the fuel pack, which is placed under your Zaibach shoulder pads."

"Wow!" The Dragon Slayers all gazed at their commander in starry-eyed admiration.

"I wish _you_ were in charge of Zaibach, Dilandau-sama," Migel grinned, "You'd do a hell of a better job than Dornkirk-sama, that's for sure!"

Dilandau blinked. "Lead Zaibach? That'd be a _terrible_ job!"

"Why?" Guimel leaned forward, green eyes widening a little.

"Think about it," the albino sweatdropped, "I'd be stuck commanding everybody else! I wouldn't be sent out to destroy anything firsthand. I wouldn't even be able to burn any enemies' countries down!"

"Unlike us," Gatti said pointedly, holding up his gauntlets, "At least, if you'd teach us _how_."

Dilandau sighed—for once, Gatti's practicality didn't annoy him. He was glad _somebody_ was still concentrating on the task at hand.

"That's right," he told Gatti, slipping on his own Fire Knuckles, "We can chat later—right now you have to learn to use these so that when the time comes, you can torch some sorcerers!"

There was a small cheer from the group, and they all quickly put their own gloves on. Marching all the time seemed to have its benefits—in very little time, Dilandau had them all standing in a horizontal row with a line of his rather unfortunate red and black socks in front of them.

"All right," he frowned, standing off to the side. "These are emotion-propelled—do you know what that means?"

"We've got to be freaked-out to use 'em…?" Migel ventured to ask, smiling sheepishly.

Dilandau sweatdropped, "Not exactly. It means that you need to _want_ to hit something for them to work. Try and shoot a jet at your designated sock." _That sentence sounded ridiculous,_ he thought, but thankfully the other boys were all too focused on their task at hand to notice. Each raised his gauntlets in front of him, clenching his hands both into fists and leveling the knuckles at the sock on the floor some four feet in front of him.

Dilandau watched them concentrate, frowning determinedly or closing their eyes—whatever their version of concentration was. On the end, Viole stood with his eyes closed, an unhappy expression on his face. The others' eyes all shot open and they turned to look when eight jets of flames sputtered fourth from the purple-haired Slayer's gauntlets, licking at the poor black sock he'd been assigned to.

Dilandau, meanwhile, was rather surprised it had worked. Just willing the flames to come didn't work—you had to have a reason and believe in it enough. _I wonder…_"Viole…" He frowned thoughtfully, coming over beside the purple-haired boy, who was staring at his Fire Knuckles in surprise. "Good job. What were you thinking about when it worked?"

"I…was thinking of Dallet," Viole admitted, sighing. "It made me sad…is that why it worked?"

"Any emotion works, I suppose," Dilandau shrugged. Turning to the others, he commented, "Viole just demonstrated what you need to do to make the gauntlets work—_feel_ something."

The purple-haired boy fidgeted, looking a bit embarrassed that the others were all looking his way. Dilandau, meanwhile, commanded, "Aim at those socks again! This time, however, I want you guys to imagine a scene. Close your eyes."

The others obeyed this order, carefully leveling the gauntlets at the socks beforehand. Nodding, Dilandau slipped his own gauntlets off lest he unintentionally burn something (it wasn't any fun unless it was on purpose) and took a deep breath. "You…are in a darkened room. The only light comes from a few ragged slits in the ceiling, and even that is faint." He checked their expressions—most looked uneasy.

Satisfied with the scene he'd laid, he continued, "There are others in the room—not people, but shadowy things just beyond your vision. Several venture into the room, passing by you. You can see now that they wear black robes—Madoushi." Almost immediately, the Dragon Slayers all frowned or made some expression of unhappiness. It apparently wasn't strong enough, though, because no flames came from the gauntlets.

Frustrated with this, Dilandau decided to try something shocking. "The Madoushi have a person with them—a prisoner." He frowned, "The prisoner has been drugged with something—he's too weak to resist them right now. He's pale, and has pale hair as well." _Finally,_ he thought, as looks of horror began to cross the other boys' faces. He took another deep breath, continuing his narration. "As they pass by, you hear him calling for someone. He whispers…'Shesta!'"

The blonde boy's eyes shot open at the sound of his name—but at the same time, flames shot from his pair of gauntlets. Dilandau smirked, continuing, "No one answers him—the Madoushi pretend he didn't speak. He's barely able to stand, and stumbles when the sorcerers shove him roughly forward. Sinking to his knees, he cries, 'Migel!'"

Since they were used to him calling Gatti second—he almost always did when distressed--, the Dragon Slayers were startled to hear the brunette's name. This resulted in several of their pairs of gauntlets shooting flames at the target, as well. Migel, like Shesta, immediately broke his concentration as soon as he heard his name. Also like Shesta, the thought of Dilandau at the mercy of the Madoushi angered him enough that his Fire Knuckles torched the target. In fact, the floor and nearby wall got scorched, too.

Startled out of imagining the scene, Migel glanced at his commander and realized that making him feel angry had been the point all along. The same with Shesta…

"But Migel isn't there," Dilandau seemed to almost be enjoying himself while painting the horrible scene into their minds. "No one is…only the shadowy figures who have brought him there. The sorcerers have no sympathy for their prisoner. Angrily, they drag him to his feet—"

"Stop!" The rather cruel story was interrupted by Guimel. Much to Dilandau's chagrin, the fluffy-haired boy had accomplished the job he'd been attempting quicker—the startlement of the interruption surprised the others' gauntlets into spewing flames all at once.

Frowning, the albino boy came over to look Guimel in the eye. "You _interrupted_ me," he said rather menacingly. Really, it was difficult to sound angry when he saw that the other boy was actually in tears over what he'd been saying.

Hanging his head, Guimel answered softly, "I'm sorry, Dilandau-sama…but that's really a horrible thing to be telling us. I-I understand how these things work now." He held up his pair of gauntlets, which he'd slipped off shortly after the interruption. Looking tearful again as he recalled the story, he whispered, "Y-you made your point—don't you understand how much it _hurts_ to imagine something like that?"

"Well, it _worked_, didn't it?" Dilandau grumbled, crossing his arms and glancing at the sock that had been in front of Guimel. Not surprisingly, it had been turned to ash. Blinking, he then glanced down the row of targets—every one had been blackened. Sweatdropping, he muttered, "It almost worked _too_ well—you guys really care about me that much?"

Without a second's hesitation, the entire room responded emphatically, "I'd _die_ for you, Dilandau-sama!" Even Dallet, who already had.

If the Madoushi did come for him, Dilandau thought, they would likely all have their chance.

End Chapter 6

* * *

Heartbeat Akugi! Volume 5

----Akugi #11

Dilandau: "These are emotion-propelled—do you know what that means?"

Migel: "I know!" (Sagely) "It means 'propelled by emotions'." (Nod-nod)

Others: "…." (Sweatdrop)

----Akugi #12

Dilandau: "Lead Zaibach? That'd be a _terrible_ job!"

Guimel: "Why?" (Wide eyes) "Maybe you could make them serve edible food in the mess hall! And get interior heating on the _Vione_! And give us quarters that are more than four feet across!"

Migel: (Sweatdrop) "You know, Dilandau-sama, he's making a good point…Dornkirk-sama _sucks_."

----Akugi #13

Migel: "Such as?"

Dilandau: (Grins and stands, going over to dig in his dresser)

Dragon Slayers: (Whispering amongst themselves curiously)

Shesta: "Five bucks says it has to do with fire."

Migel: "In his dresser?" (Sweatdrop) "Okay, Shesta, I'll double that to bet it's a piece of clothes!"

Guimel: (Thoughtfully) "Maybe he wants us to strangle the Madoushi with his socks."

Dilandau: (Returns with Fire Knuckles)

Dragon Slayers: (Watch in confusion while he attempts to explain them, their bets still on their minds too much to listen)

Shesta: (Still thinking of his bet and hoping from the red paint job that the gloves have to do with fire) "Um…how are a pair of gloves going to help us fight the Madoushi?"

Dilandau: (Grins and pulls a sock out of the dresser)

Dragon Slayers: (Gasp in surprise, then fork money over to Guimel in defeat)

Dilandau: Oo;; "I don't think I want to know…"

* * *

AN: Just thought I'd mention this--the idea for Fire Knuckle gauntlets is taken directly from a dream I had recently in which Dilandau had a pair of these gloves and was burning something on the wall of a supermarket. ;; Seriously! Folken was in the dream, too, but didn't have as fun of a part--he just got to get tied up and poisoned. ;; No, I don't hate him...my dreams are just really vivid and weird, that's all.

And the gauntlets were emotion-based in the dream, too, so I hope by keeping that in the design I didn't make things too cheesy. LOL. Wonder how Dilandau came up with a weapon that works on emotions without assistance? The world may never know.

And Wink, I don't have my handy Japanese dictionary with me tonight, but I believe 'akugi' means 'malicious'—I got it from Fushigi Yuugi's little parodies of their own stuff, which are called 'Fushigi Akugi'. 'Fushigi Yuugi' means 'the mysterious play', while 'Fushigi Akugi' means 'the malicious play' and is a parody of the title. ;; And I guess I'm parodying their parodying style…or somethin'. Sorry for the long AN! Oo;; Whoah… Anyhow, hope this was a good chapter--review if you think it was worthy of your reading time! (Anybody else notice the chapters are getting longer? Hopefully that's a good thing.)


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